Summer sun and classical music hit perfect pitch

Mozart on the Green brings the classics to Athens

Last week Ohio University and the Athens community celebrated music, summer and education with Mozart on the Green, an intensive one-week chamber music festival.

In performances staged from Aug. 6-11, guest artists, former faculty and music students performed nightly free concerts for the community. Each concert provided not only the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, but complimentary pieces from the 17th to 20th century.

The Mozart on the Green Festival and Academy is the creation of Steven Huang, director of orchestral activities. Upon learning about Huang’s desire to start such a festival, Michael Carrera, associate professor of cello, suggested that his own nonprofit, the Juniper Music Festival, could help to make Huang’s dream a reality.

The Juniper Music Festival is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing classical music to smaller or underserved communities and the pairing seemed natural. Because of the generous support from Juniper and local businesses and citizens, world-class musicians joined OHIO faculty artists to teach academy students during the day and present community performances at night.

The guest artists included former faculty member William Averill,currently collaborative piano and faculty at Texas Tech University; Canadian violist Esme Allen-Creighton, a faculty member at the University of Delaware; Athenian Christina McGann, an international solo violinist; Dwight Parry, an oboist with the Cincinnati Symphony; and Pablo Mahave-Veglia,a faculty member in cello and baroque cello at Grand Valley State University.

Steven Huang, director of orchestral activities, right, helps a chamber group rehearse during a master class in Ohio University's Mozart on the Green Chamber Music Festival and Academy on Aug. 9, 2012 in Athens, Ohio.
Photographer: Elizabeth Held

Stephen Miahky, faculty member in violin, instructs a master class during Ohio University's Mozart on the Green Chamber Music Festival and Academy on August 9, 2012 in Athens, Ohio.
Photographer: Elizabeth Held

Ohio University's School of Music and the Juniper Music Festival present music inspired by the spirit of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at a free concert on College Green.
Photographer: Ben Wirtz Siegel